Embracing Change: Somatic and Creative Practices to Move with the Season
Late August has a particular energy to it. Evenings start to come a little earlier, there is a shift into new routines or revamping old ones, school traffic is back and we may notice our emotions begin to shift as well. Whether you are leaning into the back-to-school experience or are simply noticing the subtle seasonal changes, this time of the year invites us to practice and lean into what may sometimes feel difficult: embracing change.
Why change sometimes feels scary
As humans, we get used to and are comfortable with routine: with our thoughts, activities, emotions and even the people we surround ourselves with. Having some semblance of control or familiarity can help us feel safe in our daily lives and experiences.
When we encounter and experience change, it can sometimes feel like the opposite of safety and can even feel scary and like a threat. It is for that very reason that we may struggle with or resist change - especially if we have had little to or no exposure to it.
However, change is a very natural and important part of life. Therefore it can be important to ask ourselves the question: how can we support our minds and body through change?
Body First: establishing safety through Somatic Healing
As I have mentioned many times before, our body is the vessel for our emotions, experiences and is key in the process of establishing a sense of safety. Safety may feel like a sense of ease and comfort in the body, feelings of calm, and a presence to the immediate moment. Safety is an inner state and experience which only we can define for ourselves. Somatic Healing can be a great tool and practice to come into a sense of safety in the body. Here are three practices you can try:
Scanning: finding a comfortable seat, start to move your eyes and head to scan the room you are in. As you do, start to name things that you can see, hear, feel, smell and taste. This practice invites your body to come into the present moment and ground into itself.
Color for safety: imagine or think of a color that you associate with the experience of feeling safe (however you define the experience for yourself). Once you have your color, start to imagine it surrounding your whole body. I find it helpful to attach a visual - this can be imagining a bubble of this color surrounding you or a waterfall washing over your body. Just make sure you are in a private space while doing it to really feel into the experience in your body.
Self touch: can be a great way to establish a sense of safety and connection with your body. Be mindful of pressure and trigger points in your body as you move through this. When you are ready, allow for your impulse to guide you to gently touch or squeeze parts of your body, noticing how your body responds (does it relax into the touch and feel more ease? does it become more tense?) and listening to your intuition. It can be helpful to start with the hands and then move up your arms, shoulders, etc. Once you feel done, take a moment to check in with your body to see how it feels.
Addressing the Mind: using art-making to explore anxious thoughts
In addition to our body’s lack of perceived safety in moments of change, our mind can also take over through the form of anxious or racing thoughts, even convincing ourselves of stories that may not always be true. It can be important to address the mind too as we continue to build on that strong mind-body connection to a more holistic approach to healing. Art-making can be a great tool to use to start to ease your mind and it’s thoughts around change.
Grabbing some paper/journal and some art materials (crayons, markers, pencils, pens, pastels, etc.) create a shape on the page as a symbol for your mind or brain. On the inside of the shape, using lines, shapes, colors and even words, start to draw your current thoughts and experiences around change. It can help to use the prompt: how do I feel about change?
Then, once you are finish and on the outside of the shape, create an image for how you would like to feel about change. This can include words that you would like to take up space in your mind, symbols, lines, shapes and colors as well. Allow this art to expand your sense of awareness while also be a grounding force and reminder for your desired outcome around change.
Embrace balance through change
As we approach the Fall Equinox, we begin to find ways to create balance - an important concept in embracing change.
As I mentioned earlier, change can feel scary and even unsafe at times YET it is an important and inevitable experience in life. These two concepts on their own can feel contradictory and like they are fighting against one another - that is where balance comes in - a state and ability to hold space and give meaning to both experiences.
Therefore as you practice the somatic healing and art-making practices, it is important to also hold space for the in-between, the balance and the learning curve that can come with new experiences.
If you’d like support weaving these practices into your daily life, I offer Art Therapy and Somatic Healing sessions (in person in Coral Gables and online for Florida and New York residents). You can schedule a FREE consultation call using this link so we can get to know one another better. And over time we will create a personalized plan to help your nervous system find balance—so change feels more like a conversation than a storm.
